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"Welcome to the stranger, protect the refugee."
It is one of the oldest refugees in the United States, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society – better known by its acronym HIAS.
This work of a displaced person is one of Robert Bowers, who is accused of opening fire in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, synagogue on Saturday, killing 11 people.
Authorities say Bowers screamed "All Jews must die" as he fired. He made his first appearance in court on Monday morning and faces 29 charges.
"There are no words to express how devastated we are in the Pittsburgh this morning," HIAS said in a statement issued after the shooting. "This loss is our loss."
The only known link between the synagogue and the refugee agency was their connection to Judaism. Tree of Life was a house of worship and the HIAS affiliate in Pittsburgh.
But by all accounts, the shooter was probably focused on the Jewish community.
Screenshots of comments Hamslikes (sic) to bring back invaders in the face of watch my people get slaughtered, "Bowers wrote. "Screw your optics, I'm going in."
Gab was taken down in the wake of the rampage.
In another post two-and-a-half weeks earlier, he wrote HIAS of "bringing in to hostile invaders to dwell among us." And in another, he referred to "filthy evil jews Bringing the Filthy Evil Muslims into the Country !!"
Bowers is a victim of murder, murder and hate crimes, making the shooting at a federal investigation.
Refugees get personal
HIAS began in the 1800s as an aid organization focused on Jewish communities, but expanded into one of the main contractors for the U.S. refugee program in the 20th century.
They are religiously affiliated – they started with a religious framework of charity and aid, and expanded their network to help refugees of all nationalities and religions.
Monday morning, New York radio station spoke with Melanie Nezer, HIAS senior vice president of communications.
"We used to help refugees because they were Jewish," she said. "Now we help refugees because we are Jewish."
AT New York Times profile of the agency over the weekend included the personal story of a Muslim Iraqi refugee aided by HIAS.
In the social media, several prominent refugees in the U.S. showed support for the organization that helped their families. Among them was singer Regina Spektor and Masha Gessen, a writer and two-time exilee, who quickly penned a piece in The New Yorker magazine.
Lev Golinkin the USSR.
"HIAS was what remained when your life was disintegrated, when there was no money, no way to communicate, no going back," he said. "HIAS was what kept you tethered to the world when you became a ghost but were not yet ready to die."
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